Pittsburgh WRs pose problems for the Patriots

Hines Ward has performed a number of end-zone dances over the course of his 14-year NFL career. He's also performed a show-stopping samba on "Dancing With the Stars." Mike Wallace is the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver who can really shake it, though.

There is a "thunder-and-lightning" aspect to the Steelers' leading receivers, a duo the Patriots will face at Heinz Field on Sunday.

"(Ward's) definitely a big guy out there and he's coming in on those cracks," Patriots outside linebacker Rob Ninkovich said yesterday. "You've got to be alert for him because he's out to get you pretty good.

"I respect him a ton. I mean, he's been around for so long. Anybody who's played 14 years, you kind of look up to those guys because I can remember watching him as a kid and I looked up to those guys that have played so long. I think he's a great player. I've just got to watch out for him, watch out for those crack blocks."

While Ward's reputation has been built on physicality, Wallace (4.3 speed in the 40) is considered by many to be the fleetest receiver in the game today. The 6-foot, 199-pounder is coming off a franchise record-setting play, a 95-yard touchdown reception from Ben Roethlisberger in the Steelers' 32-20 win at Arizona last Sunday.

Patriots defenders should consider themselves forewarned when they hear their head coach say that "nobody is going to catch him so you have to be careful about how much space he gets when he catches the ball."

"He's a fast guy," Patriots safety James Ihedigbo said, reiterating Bill Belichick's words to the media during a conference call the day before. "Flat-out kind of lightning speed, so to speak, so we have our hands full in the back end."

Clearly, as a downfield threat who's averaged 20.3 yards per catch over the course of nearly 21/2 seasons, Wallace isn't the type of guy a team that's yielding air space at a pace of a league-worst 322.2 yards-per-game particularly wants to see.

Wallace has caught 135 passes for 2,743 yards and 21 touchdowns since the Steelers made him the 84th overall choice (third round) in the 2009 draft. He heads into Sunday' game having caught 36 passes for 730 yards and five TDs this season, and his 20.3-yard average this year matches his career number.

Also a third-round pick (92nd overall in 1998), the 6-foot, 205-pound Ward, who at 35 is 10 years Wallace's elder, ranks second on the Steelers in receptions with 26 for 258 yards, two for TDs.

Second-year wide receiver Antonio Brown also poses a threat on the outside, ranking third on the team in receptions with 25 for 364 yards and coming off a career day against the Cardinals (7 catches, 102 yards), but he's yet to set foot in the end zone. Brown also returns kickoffs (a 29.4-yard average) and punts (12.8 yards) for the Steelers.

Page 2 of 2 - Seventh-year tight end Heath Miller is fourth on the team in receptions with 23 for 276 yards, two for touchdowns.

"They've got some big guys in the receiving corps," Ninkovich summarized. "They've (also) got some guys that can run."